Cleveland Browns: Breaking Down The Match-Up vs. the Kansas City Chiefs

By Ryan Ruiz

Denny Medley-US Presswire

The Kansas City Chiefs are in a tough emotional state of mind right now. Coming off last week’s hard fought win against the Carolina Panthers, the Chiefs have one of the worse records in the NFL at 2-10. Here are the Chiefs’ main threats that the ClevelandBrowns must be aware of this Sunday.

At quarterback, the Arrowheads have struggled mightily this season. The once franchise-esque Matt Cassel has fallen flat on his face with poor play and injuries. Cassel’s stats this year are terrible, having only thrown six touchdowns and 12 interceptions in nine games played. RomeoCrennel has turned to former Brown, Brady Quinn to lead the offense. Quinn has not fared much better. In six games played, the former Notre Dameplayer has posted just two touchdowns for 635 yards.

The Chiefs’ offense runs through the ground and is structured around running back JamaalCharles. Managing to stay healthy this season, Charles already has over 1,000 yards rushing. Charles is frighteningly fast and averages almost five yards per carry. The 25 year old is versatile and is third on the team in receiving with 30 catches for 200 yards. The downside on Charles is he has only found the end zone four times this year.

Perhaps one of the top five receivers in the NFL, Dwayne Bowe is KC’s go- to guy through the air. Though Bowe’s numbers are above average with 57 receptions for 731 yards and three touchdowns, they would be much more with better quarterback play. Dexter McCluster is the speedster threat on the other side of Bowe. The Chiefs’ biggest disappointment is Jon Baldwin, the former first round pick from a year ago. Baldwin has found pay dirt only one time. Free agent and former Browns’ prima donna PeytonHillis is a bust at this point.

The defense is where the Chiefs excel better. Derrick Johnson is a close spitting image of former Chiefs’ great Derrick Thomas. Johnson is a tackling machine with 87 tackles and two forced fumbles. Out of nowhere has popped up linebacker Justin Houston. The second year man leads the Chiefs with 10 sacks on the season. Combine Houston with Tamba Hali (6 sacks) on the defensive line, and Kansas City has a solid pass rush. Former first round pick Eric Berry quarterbacks the Chiefs’ secondary at safety. Berry has 50 tackles and an interception.

This will be another emotional game for the Chiefs. Credit must be given to Coach Crennel for keeping his team together following the suicide death of linebacker JovanBelcher. The players and coaches will be attending the services this week and the focus may or may not be there on Sunday.